While the arthropods still existed during the Ordivician, they had been replaced as the top predators. Taking that role were the massive squid-like creatures called orthocones. And one of the biggest was Cameroceras. This shelled cephalopod was the top predator of the Ordivician seas, and a threat to anything that lived with it.

Basic Info

Meaning of Name: Cameroceras means "chambered horn".

Time of existence: Cameroceras lived throughout the entirety of the Ordivician, 470 million to 440 million years ago.

Diet: Cameroceras was the top predator of the Ordivician, and as such, saw most animals in the sea as prey. Their primary prey were the eurypterid Megalograptus, which they ate by using their sharp beaks to crunch their hard shells. They also devoured large trilobites, and most likely also fed on some of the small armored fish that lived in the Ordivician seas.

Threats: Cameroceras had no natural predators, and its only real threat was the later climate change that took place. No animal could eat them.

Size: Cameroceras was 9 meters long, or 29.6 feet long.

Cameroceras swimming

Attributes: Cameroceras had two attributes that allowed it to be the top predator of its time. Its first was its tentacles, which it used to grab it's prey off the sea bed. It also had an incredibly sharp beak which was used to crunch up the shells of the sea scorpions they ate.

Cameroceras attacking a Megalograptus

Appearances in the Walking With...series

Chased by Sea Monsters

Episode 1-Dangerous Seas

Cameroceras first appears in the opening synopsis of the show, briefly seen to represent the seventh deadliest sea. It next appears on Nigel Marvin's time map, which indicates his first stop as the Ordivician. Cameroceras is not seen in the actual segment until later, where it is first seen grabbing the trilobite Nigel is using as bait and tearing it apart with its beak, causing the camera to stop working. Nigel follows the line down and finds that the camera has been completely torn off, and indicates that the predator must still be close. Eventually, Nigel notices a congregation of Megalograptus, before noticing the giant orthocone right above him.

Cameroceras looking down at the sea floor

The Cameroceras immediately takes interest in Nigel, and approaches him. Nigel wards him off by flashing the light in his eyes, frustrating him and causing him to swim away briefly. However, he quickly returns, and attacks one of the Megalograptus, dragging it to its beak and devouring it. Cameroceras than goes for another scorpion, and devouring it. Nigel then grabs the shell of the orthocone, taking a ride until Cameroceras goes too deep underwater. Nigel thanks Cameroceras for the ride before swimming back to shore as the giant orthocone returns to the depths. Cameroceras continues to appear on the time map throughout the episode.  Despite being one of the main subjects of the episode, it is never referred to by name, and only called "orthocone".

Episode 2-Into the Jaws of Death

Cameroceras only briefly appears in the opening recap of the episode, where it is seen investigating Nigel.

Episode 3-To Hell...And Back?

Once again, Cameroceras appears in the opening recap of the episode.

Walking with Monster

Episode 1-Water Dwellers

An Orthocone is briefly seen during the Silurian section of the episode. While most likely not, its possible that this was meant to be Cameroceras. It appears swimming with some Pterygotus, and is briefly focused on to show the familiar creatures of the seas.